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Monday, June 24, 2013

I've received my low pressure valve for my Banjo Burner. Next brew I hope to have no more fireballs.

Switches have been replaced. They should be nice and switchy now. I'm still nervous about my gas valve. But it's fixable throughout the brew process.

Brew competition is this upcoming Friday. My beer is being chilled right now. Currently sitting partially carbonated. This week I'll wrap up carbonation, and try a few samples ;) to make sure everything is right. I know I'll beat my competitors, but I want to destroy them. Judgment day is coming.

I have a theory that may fix my efficiency debacle. I measured my preboil efficiency out of my mash tank and it was spot on. After sparging it was low. Way low. Frustratingly low. I get the face that I added water, diluting the mixture, but the new water is supposed to pick up sugars along the way. Well what if I put my entire volume of boiling water in the mash tank to begin with. Constantly washing the grains with all my water instead of just part of my water. Then, theoretically, I can skip the sparge all together and just let open the gate all the way to fill my boil kettle. Maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to shorten my brew day a little bit. God forbid a change in technique actually shorten the brew day!

For those of you completely in the dark (which included me until not too long ago), go ahead and add Homebrewfinds.com to your bookmark list. Homebrewfinds hunts down all the great homebrewing deals out there on the internet and brings them together like a tween hunting down as many of those pesky pokemon that he can. I picked up a refractometer on this site of 26 smackers. I know look like a brewing superstar check the gravity of my beer.